Reversible baseball cap with pockets

ABSTRACT

A reversible hat with a visor has pockets with closures. The hat is of the form sometimes referred to as a baseball cap. The crown and front portions of the hat have a single layer of fabric, so that the hat is relatively lightweight and the crown portion can loosely drape into a relaxed shape. The closure for each pocket can be a zipper, Velcro, snaps or other suitable closure. The side portions of the hat have two layers of fabric forming the walls of the pocket. The visor has two layers of fabric with a middle layer of stiffening material. In some embodiments, the side portions and visor fabrics are of different colors and/or materials on the pocketed and unpocketed side of the hat. In some embodiments, the visor is detachably coupled to the front portion.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to hats and headwear, and moreparticularly, is directed to a hat sometimes referred to as a baseballcap, that is reversible and that has pockets with closures.

Hats are a popular and beloved form of clothing. Many reversible hatshave been proposed, and these generally are reversible so that thefabric and/or designs can differ on the inside and outside of the hat.However, having two layers of fabric creates additional bulk andstiffness, which is undesirable in certain styles of hats.

While many forms of pockets have been proposed for hats, in particularinterior pockets to hold items more securely and/or with less visibilityto an observer, the present inventor is unaware of any reversible hatswith pockets.

Accordingly, there is room for an improved reversible hat design.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with an aspect of this invention, there is provided areversible hat comprising a crown portion formed of a single layer ofmaterial, and two adjacent layers of material forming a pockettherebetween, each of the layers being a side portion and being coupledto the crown portion.

According to a further aspect of this invention, one of the layers has azipper closure for providing access to the pocket. A front portion iscoupled to the crown portion and the side portions, and a visor iscoupled to the front portion. The perimeter of the crown portion has aU-shaped part and a generally flat part, and a crown strip coupled tothe U-shaped part of the crown portion. A brim strip is coupled to thebottom circumference of the hat.

In accordance with another aspect of this invention, there is provided areversible hat comprising a crown portion formed of a single layer ofmaterial, first and second adjacent layers of material forming a leftpocket therebetween, each of the layers being a side portion and beingcoupled to the crown portion, and third and fourth adjacent layers ofmaterial forming a right pocket therebetween, each of the layers being aside portion and being coupled to the crown portion.

In accordance with a further aspect of this invention, there is provideda reversible hat comprising a crown portion formed of a single layer ofmaterial and having a perimeter with a U-shaped part and a generallyflat part, left and right side portions each formed of a single layer ofmaterial and coupled to the U-shaped part of the crown portion, a crownstrip coupled to the U-shaped part of the crown portion and to the leftand right side portions, and a brim strip coupled to the generally flatpart of the crown portion and to the left and right side portions.

It is not intended that the invention be summarized here in itsentirety. Rather, further features, aspects and advantages of theinvention are set forth in or are apparent from the followingdescription and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a side view of the pocketed side of a hat according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 1B is a side view of the unpocketed side of the hat of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2A is a back view of the pocketed side of the hat of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2B is a back view of the unpocketed side of the hat of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 3A is a top view of the pocketed side of the hat of Fig. 1A;

FIG. 3B is a top view of the unpocketed side of the hat of Fig. 1A;

FIG. 4 is a cutaway view of a pocket of the hat of FIG. 1A; and

FIG. 5 is a cutaway view of the crown seam of the hat of FIG. 1A; and

FIG. 6 is a cutaway view of the bottom of another embodiment of the hathaving a removable visor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A reversible hat with a visor has pockets with closures. The hat is ofthe form sometimes referred to as a baseball cap. The crown and frontportions of the hat have a single layer of fabric, so that the hat isrelatively lightweight and the crown portion can loosely drape into arelaxed shape.

The crown portion has a perimeter with a U-shaped part and a generallyflat part. The U-shaped part is coupled to the front and sides of thehat. The generally flat part forms part of the bottom circumference ofthe hat.

The closure for each pocket can be a zipper, Velcro, snaps or othersuitable closure.

The side of the hat that has accessible pocket closures is referred toherein as the pocketed side of the hat. The side of the hat that doesnot reveal the pockets is referred to herein as the unpocketed side ofthe hat.

The hat has one pocket on each side portion. In other embodiments, thehat has only one pocket.

The side portions of the hat have two layers of fabric forming the wallsof the pocket. The visor has two layers of fabric with a middle layer ofstiffening material. In some embodiments, the side portions and visorfabrics are of different colors and/or materials on the pocketed andunpocketed side of the hat. For example, the material on the pocketedside may be water-resistant so that sweat, moisture or hair oils fromthe wearer's head are less likely to seep through the fabric and affectthe contents of the pocket. As another example, the material on theunpocketed side may be highly reflective, so that the wearer is visibleto drivers at night; since the unpocketed side portions are not incontact with the user's head, they can be formed of a coarse or stiffmaterial that would be uncomfortable against the user's skin.

The material for the hat may be any suitable material, such as wovencotton, wool or synthetic such as polyester, knit cotton or wool orsynthetic such as nylon, leather, suede, metallic mesh or latex, orother fabric as will apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Thematerials may be opaque or semi-transparent or transparent. The frontand/or crown portions of the hat may be mesh to improve air circulationto the wearer's head.

In some embodiments, the visor is permanently attached to the frontportion. In other embodiments, the visor is detachable from the frontportion. An advantage of a detachable visor is that it can be stiffer,with a curved shape, whereas a permanently attached visor must be ableto accommodate reversing.

FIG. 1A is a side view of the pocketed side of a hat according to thepresent invention. The hat comprises crown portion 10, front portion 20,visor portion 30 and side portion 40. The top edge of side portion 40has zipper 45A along its length, which zips and unzips to seal andunseal the pocket in the side portion.

FIG. 1B depicts the hat of FIG. 1A turned inside out, that is, reversedso that the inside has become the outside.

FIG. 1B is a side view of the unpocketed side of the hat of FIG. 1A.This side of the hat comprises the other side of the fabric of crownportion 10, the other side of the fabric of front portion 20, visorportion 31, side portion 41, crown strip 51 and brim strip 61. Visorportion 31 and side portion 41 are respectively opposite visor portion30 and side portion 40.

FIG. 2A is a back view of the pocketed side of the hat of FIG. 1A. Theback view shows that crown portion 10 extends from the front of the hatdown to the back of the hat at its brim. Dart 15 is located at thecenter back of crown portion 10, for shaping the hat. The folded portionof dart 15 is stitched down. In some embodiments, dart 15 is omitted.Side portion 42 is on the opposite side of the hat from side portion 40.The top edge of side portion 42 has zipper 45B along its length whichenables access to the pocket in side portion 42.

FIG. 2B depicts the hat of FIG. 2A turned inside out, that is, reversedso that the inside has become the outside.

FIG. 2B is a back view of the unpocketed side of the hat of FIG. 1A.Crown strip 51 forms a generally U-shape along the perimeter of crownportion 10. On this side of the hat, dart 16 has a folded edge thatprotects the raw edges of fabric forming dart 15, and the folded edge isstitched in place. Brim strip 61 extends around the bottom circumferenceof the hat. Side portion 43 is on the opposite side of the hat from sideportion 42.

Side portions 40 and 41 form the walls of a first pocket. The top of thefirst pocket is formed by the seam with crown portion 10. The bottom ofthe first pocket is formed by the seam with brim strip 61. The forwardside of the first pocket is formed by the seam with front portion 20.The rear side of the first pocket is formed by the seam with the bottomof crown portion 10. Zipper 45A serves as the closure for the firstpocket.

Side portions 42 and 43 form the walls of a second pocket. The top ofthe second pocket is formed by the seam with crown portion 10. Thebottom of the second pocket is formed by the seam with brim strip 61.The forward side of the second pocket is formed by the seam with frontportion 20. The rear side of the second pocket is formed by the seamwith the bottom of crown portion 10. Zipper 45B serves as the closurefor the second pocket.

Visor portions 30 and 31 preferably have an enclosed stiffeningmaterial, to impart sturdiness to the visor of the hat. Visor portions30, 31 are permanently coupled to front portion 10. In the embodimentshown, visor portions 30, 31 are also coupled to the side portions ofthe hat; but in other embodiments, visor portions 30, 31 are coupled toonly front portion 10.

FIG. 3A is a top view of the pocketed side of the hat of FIG. 1A,showing crown portion 10 having a generally U-shape.

FIG. 3B depicts the hat of FIG. 3A turned inside out, that is, reversedso that the inside has become the outside.

FIG. 3B is a top view of the unpocketed side of the hat of FIG. 1A,showing crown strip 51 along the U-shaped edge of crown portion 10.

FIG. 4 is a cutaway view of the first pocket of the hat of FIG. 1A. Thebottom edge of zipper 45A is on the inside of the pocket. The top ofside portion 40 is sewn to the bottom edge of zipper 45A, and the seamallowance edge of the top of side portion 40 is on the inside of thepocket. The top edge of zipper 45A and the top edge of side portion 41are covered by crown strip 51 (not shown). Brim strip 61 is arectangular strip of fabric that is folded along its long edge, and thenthe raw edges are again folded under and covered by the main part ofbrim strip 61. Brim strip 61 is sewn along its top and bottom edges tothe hat. The top edge of brim strip 61 is sewn to only side portion 41so as to make the first pocket slightly larger than if the top edge ofbrim strip 61 were sewn to both side portions 40 and 41.

Brim strip 61 serves to reinforce the brim of the hat, and add shape tothe hat by stiffening the bottom circumference.

FIG. 5 is a cutaway view of the crown seam of the hat of FIG. 1A. Crownstrip 51 is a rectangular strip of fabric that is folded along its longedge. One long edge is stitched to the edges of side portions 42, 43 andcrown portion 10. The other long edge is folded around the raw edges ofside portions 42, 43, crown portion 10 and crown strip 51 and then thefolded long edge is topstitched in place.

Crown strip 51 functions to protect the raw edges of the seam betweencrown portion 10 and either front portion 20 or side portions 40, 41,42, 43.

Varying the shape of front portion 20 alters the silhouette of the hat.In the embodiment shown, front portion 20 has a slightly longer top edgethan bottom edge, so that the hat has a full crown that creases in frontand folds on top of the visor. In other embodiments, front portion 20 isshaped differently so that the crown of the hat follows the contour ofthe wearer's head.

In some embodiments, the hat lacks pockets and is simply a reversiblehat.

When the hat lacks pockets, in some embodiments, there is only one sideportion on each of the left and right sides of the hat. The raw top edgeof the side portion is protected by crown strip 51. The raw bottom edgeof the side portion is folded and protected by brim strip 61. The seambetween the side of the front portion and the side of the side portionis formed by folding the each of the sides and offsetting the foldededges then topstitching each folded edge to a body of the opposing oneof the side and front portion; this is a conventional reversible seam.

In other embodiments, the visor is detachable. Specifically, the visoris attached to the front portion by a detachable closure such as azipper, velcro hooks, snaps, reversible snaps or the like.

FIG. 6 is a cutaway view of the bottom of another embodiment of the hathaving a removable visor. Front portion 25 and brim strip 65 are coupledto leave opening 5 therebetween, for attaching the closure in opening 5.When the closure is snaps, the female parts of the snaps are attached onboth sides of opening 5, and the visor has the male parts of the snaps.When the closure is Velcro, the soft “eyes” part is attached on bothsides of opening 5, and the hooks part of the Velcro is attached to thevisor. Other suitable arrangements will be understood by those ofordinary skill in the art.

The bottom of front portion 25 is folded and coupled to brim strip 65 ata convenient distance from the foldline, leaving enough space to attachfemale snap 26 to the inside of front portion 25. Similarly, brim strip65 has an unattached bottom edge forming one of the walls of opening 5,and female snap 66 is attached to the inside of brim strip 65. Snaps 26and 66 correspond, that is, depending on which side of the hat is theoutside, a visor (not shown) will have a male snap that mates with oneof snaps 26, 66.

In another embodiment, a reversible snap (not shown) is used. Thereversible snap is attached through the thickness of the brim strip andthe bottom edge of the front portion. In some cases, the reversible snaphas two parts that pierce the fabric and then mate to form a device witha female snap on both sides. The male snap is attached to the visor.

In some cases, the brim strip and the bottom of the front portion areattached as in FIG. 6, but with a tongue of fabric inserted in theopening. The tongue is a rectangular strip folded in its long dimension.The fold hangs in the opening formed by the brim strip and the bottom ofthe front portion. The raw edges of the fabric tongue are enclosedbetween the stitching coupling the brim strip to the front portion. Thereversible snaps are located on the fabric tongue. The brim strip andthe bottom of the front portion surrounding the fabric tongue serve aspadding so that the reversible snap does not directly contact thewearer's head.

Although an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, andvarious modifications thereof, have been described in detail herein withreference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that theinvention is not limited to this precise embodiment and the describedmodifications, and that various changes and further modifications may beeffected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from thescope or spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

1. A reversible hat comprising: a crown portion formed of a single layerof material, and two adjacent layers of material forming a pockettherebetween, each of the layers being a side portion and being coupledto the crown portion, such that the pocket is accessible when the hat isin one of an un-reversed state and a reversed state and the pocket isinvisible when the hat is in the other of the un-reversed state and thereversed state.
 2. The hat of claim 1, wherein one of the layers has aclosure for providing access to the pocket.
 3. The hat of claim 2,wherein the closure is a zipper.
 4. The hat of claim 1, furthercomprising a front portion coupled to the crown portion and the sideportions.
 5. The hat of claim 4, further comprising a visor coupled tothe front portion.
 6. The hat of claim 5, wherein the visor isdetachably coupled to the front portion.
 7. The hat of claim 1, whereinthe perimeter of the crown portion has a U-shaped part and a generallyflat part, further comprising a crown strip coupled to the U-shaped partof the crown portion.
 8. The hat of claim 1, further comprising a brimstrip coupled to the bottom circumference of the hat.
 9. A reversiblehat comprising: a crown portion formed of a single layer of material,first and second adjacent layers of material forming a left pockettherebetween, each of the layers being a side portion and being coupledto the crown portion, such that the left pocket is accessible when thehat is in one of an un-reversed state and a reversed state, and thepocket is invisible when the hat is in the other of the un-reversedstate and the reversed state, and third and fourth adjacent layers ofmaterial forming a right pocket therebetween, each of the layers being aside portion and being coupled to the crown portion, such that the rightpocket is accessible when the hat is in one of an un-reversed state anda reversed state, and the pocket is invisible when the hat is in theother of the un-reversed state and the reversed state.
 10. The hat ofclaim 9, wherein each of the first and third layers has a closure forproviding access to the pocket.
 11. The hat of claim 10, wherein each ofthe closures is a zipper.
 12. The hat of claim 9, further comprising afront portion coupled to the crown portion and the side portions. 13.The hat of claim 12, further comprising a visor coupled to the frontportion.
 14. The hat of claim 13, wherein the visor is detachablycoupled to the front portion.
 15. The hat of claim 9, wherein theperimeter of the crown portion has a U-shaped part and a generally flatpart, further comprising a crown strip coupled to the U-shaped part ofthe crown portion.
 16. The hat of claim 9, further comprising a brimstrip coupled to the bottom circumference of the hat.
 17. A reversiblehat comprising: a crown portion formed of a single layer of material andhaving a perimeter with a U-shaped part and a generally flat part, leftand right side portions each coupled to the U-shaped part of the crownportion, and each of the left and right side portions forming arespective pocket that is accessible when the hat is in one of anun-reversed state and a reversed state, and that is invisible when thehat is in the other of the un-reversed state and the reversed state, acrown strip coupled to the U-shaped part of the crown portion and to theleft and right side portions, and a brim strip coupled to the generallyflat part of the crown portion and to the left and right side portions.18. The hat of claim 17, further comprising a front portion coupled tothe crown portion and the side portions.
 19. The hat of claim 17,further comprising a visor coupled to the front portion.
 20. The hat ofclaim 19, wherein the visor is detachably coupled to the front portion.